Squirrel Picnic

Handmade with Love and Stuff


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SQUIRREL PICNIC (the comic): Beatrix’s Perfume

Previous Episode: The Mystery of the Rainbow Chicken

 A very sweet skunk named Beatrix came all the way from Florida to visit Squirrel Picnic.
Naturally, we threw her a welcome party.

Squirrel Picnic Comic 1Squirrel Picnic Comic 2Squirrel Picnic Comic 3Squirrel Picnic Comic 4Squirrel Picnic Comic 5Squirrel Picnic Comic 6Squirrel Picnic Comic 7Squirrel Picnic Comic 8Squirrel Picnic Comic 9Squirrel Picnic Comic 10Squirrel Picnic Comic 11Squirrel Picnic Comic 12Squirrel Picnic Comic 13

A special thanks to Grace for crocheting Beatrix, telling me her story, and sending her to visit Squirrel Picnic. We all had a wonderful time together, and she’s welcome to come back anytime!


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Make It! Challenge #9: Mr. Potato Head VIP (Very Important Potato) Edition Crochet Pattern

For Make It! Challenge #9, Daniel requested I crochet him a Mr. Potato Head doll. He was kind enough to let me decide on the accessories. I had a ton of fun thinking up new parts and facial features to make!

It is interesting to see all the different parts that Hasbro has come up with for Mr. Potato Head since he was invented in 1952. The first Mr. Potato Head kits came with ears, eyes (two pairs), facial hair (eight pieces of felt), feet, hands, hats (three), mouths (two), noses (four), and a pipe. Today, any Mr. Potato Head fanatic could show you an elaborate collection of accessories. Some of my favorites include party hats, pierced ears, handcuffs, bare feet, a pirate’s peg leg and eye patch, and a hockey player’s gap-toothed grin.

But with all the characters Hasbro has made into potatoes, I think there are a few opportunities they missed. What they need is a VIP (Very Important Potato) line of celebrity potatoes. Just picture it: Tiger Spuds, Morgan Fryman, Spuddy Holly, Elisabeth Shue-string Fry, Oprah French Fry, Vladimir Poutine, Mashton Kutcher, James Hashbrowns, to name a few (thanks to Becky for many of these ideas!). In the end, for this challenge, I decided on making Channing Potatum, Tater Swift, and Barack Au Gratin for my real-life celebrity potatoes. And then I threw in Harry Potater, because, well, Harry Potter’s name just screams make me into a potato.

Unfortunately due to licensing concerns, the pattern to make Mr. Potato Head: VIP Edition is no longer available. My apologies for any inconvenience this causes.


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A Squirrel’s New Tail

Crochet Squirrel by Squirrel PicnicDoesn’t this squirrel look dapper with his new crocheted tail?

It seems my squirrel amigurumi pattern is a work in progress. You may remember before the Super Bowl this year, I cut the tails off of Hodge and Podge and added Velcro so that I could dress them in football jerseys I had crocheted for them. Well, I admit that wasn’t the best solution. Over time, the Velcro really tore up the backs of the squirrels. (Don’t worry. Luckily it’s their backs, so they haven’t noticed yet.) It was time to find another solution.

Squirrel Amigurumi by Squirrel PicnicFor a while now, I’ve been wanting to add instructions for a crochet tail to the pattern. This way people who don’t sew or don’t want to use faux fur will be able to crochet a squirrel friend too. I’d like to thank Grace and Tajana for all the ideas and inspiration that led to the new tail. You both rock!

The next step will be to create another detachable tail so that we can make lots of outfits and costumes for our squirrels. I’m experimenting with buttons and snaps at the moment. If you have any other ideas for how I can create a tail that can be easily taken on and off, I’d love to hear them!

Thanks to everyone for bearing with me on this pattern. I sincerely hope that these changes are improvements that will result in happy crocheters and even cuter squirrels for everyone.